Arminianism: The Hot Debate
Another hot topic out there this past month is arminianism. There are some out there, even among us reformed folks, who are defending those who hold to arminianism. Also, there has been an email debate going on between Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries and Dr. Ergun Caner, who is Full Professor of Theology and Church History at Liberty University in Virginia. Dr. White calls him the Intellectual Pit Bull of the Evangelical Church.
What is wrong with arminianism? Arminianism exalts man above God and teaches that man can come to Christ of his own free will. The arminian’s gospel is synergistic in nature. Calvinists hold to what the Bible teaches in that salvation is monergistic: “God saves sinners.” This false gospel of free-willism is like a cancer entering into our churches that needs to be purged.
Steve Camp posted an entry on yesterday entitled Arminian Idle: …a ‘four point’ sandy theology of faith. Steve mentions three cancer sores found in the arminian’s system. One is that salvation is initiated by man, two, salvation is dependent on free will, three, lips service enough, and four, evidence not necessary.
Some may see Calvinists as being too harsh when we speak out against the cancer of a false gospel. That is right, I said it. Arminianism is a false gospel. It is not what we find in the Holy Scriptures. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gave us a warning for teaching a Gospel foreign to the Scriptures. We would do well to heed it. I have a feeling that there are going to be more blogging on this subject from the blogosphere.
Joshua Parker
If this were as cut & dried as you imply then this wouldn’t be such a hot topic for debate.